PFAS found in some private wells near Ford Airport

“CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Private tests have found PFAS, a likely carcinogen, in the drinking wells of several homes near the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, according to the company that conducted those tests.

Airport officials say they have started investigating but have no immediate plans to test neighboring wells.

Gordon Water Systems Vice President Tom Duisterhof said two of the tainted wells are in the neighborhood of more than 400 homes just east of the airport. Most families in that neighborhood rely on well water. The other two are downstream closer to Ada, near where the Thornapple meets the Grand River, he said. Gordon Water Systems won’t say exactly where due to privacy.

The company charges $300 per test and sends the samples to Pace Analytical EPA-certified labs in Minnesota or Florida.

The highest PFAS level was found nearest the airport. A test result provided by Gordon shows that well with 36.6 parts per trillion of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, one of the two most-studied PFAS compounds. The test also found 15.5 ppt of another, less-studied compound known as perfluoroheptanoic acid or PFHpA.”